CSFF Blog Tour – The God Hater, Day 1

This month the CSFF Blog Tour is featuring The Good Hater by Bill Myers, a Howard Books publication. As you might imagine from the title, the protagonist of the story is a renowned atheist.

Because I had the privilege of attending a debate between atheist Christopher Hitchens and Biola University professor William Lane Craig, I was especially interested in the opening scenes of The Good Hater.

Atheist philosophy professor Nicholas Mackensie is sharing a stage with a pastor for the TV show God Talk. The discussion quickly turns into a debate in which Mackensie shreds the poor megachurch pastor (who had hoped to hawk his latest book rather than engage an atheist). In chapter two, Mackensie tangles with molecular biology prof Annie Brooks.

The arguments were familiar though some of the facts were not, and that author Myers wrote his atheist protagonist as the winner of both these encounters set the tone for the book. This was not going to be a didactic one-sided look at the existence of God. The fact that the exchanges regarding religious views was interspersed with mystery and danger showed that the book was above all, a story.

What a concept — a Christian work of fiction, featuring an atheist protagonist. A real atheist, one that sounded a lot like Christopher Hitchens, attacking religion because of the wars and killing done in the name of God and because of the hypocrisy of those purporting to represent Him.

It’s an ironic twist, I think, that the atheist is a philosophy professor and the Christian teaches molecular biology. Quite the reversal from the scientist atheist versus the theological Christian you might expect.

My only issue with this part of the book was that it was too short. But I’ll get to that point when I do my full review of The God Hater later in the tour. For now, I suggest you take some time to read what others participating in this month’s CSFF tour have to say:

√ Red Bissell
√ √ √ Thomas Clayton Booher
√ Book Reviews By Molly
√ Keanan Brand
√ √ √ Rachel Briard
√ √ √ Beckie Burnham
√ √ √ Morgan L. Busse
√ Melissa Carswell
√ Valerie Comer
√ Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
√ Janey DeMeo
√ April Erwin
√ Amber French
√ Andrea Graham
√ √ √ Tori Greene
√ Katie Hart
√ √ √ Bruce Hennigan
√ Joleen Howell
√ √ √ Becky Jesse
√ Cris Jesse
√ Becca Johnson
√ √ √ Jason Joyner
√ Carol Keen
√ √ √ Emily LaVigne
√ √ √ Shannon McDermott
√ Mirtika
√ √ √ John W. Otte
√ √ Sarah Sawyer
√ √ √ Chawna Schroeder
√ Andrea Schultz
√ Tammy Shelnut
√ Kathleen Smith
√ √ √ Donna Swanson
√ √ √ Jessica Thomas
√ √ √ Steve Trower
√ √ Fred Warren
√ √ √ Dona Watson
√ Nicole White